Win and you’re in for Tipperary against Waterford

GAA: Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 4 Preview

By Shane Brophy

TIPPERARY v WATERFORD

FBD Semple Stadium

Sunday, 18th May

Throw-in @ 2.00pm

Referee: Sean Stack (Dublin)

Tipperary will have had to come down from the high of the win over Clare very quickly as they face into another must not lose Munster Championship clash against Waterford in Thurles on Sunday.

The Tipperary team shows one change from the win over Clare with midfielder Alan Tynan ruled out by injury and Willie Connors takes his place. Darragh McCarthy starts from the bench after returning from suspension.

The scenario is pretty simple, win for Tipperary and they are guaranteed to finish in the top 3, and depending on the results in the final round when the Premier County will have their bye, could see them into a Munster Final for the first time since 2021.

A draw could also be enough to progress, but it would depend on other results going their way, so the focus this week for Tipperary is, win and you’re in!

When the schedule for this years Munster Championship was revealed, the aim would have been for Tipperary to have qualification for the next stage in their own hands by the time they would come face to face with Waterford at home, who have failed to progress beyond the group stage in the five round-robin campaigns so far, so the carrot is as big for them as it is for Tipperary.

They, like Tipp, will have been targeting this game as their best opportunity to progress to the next phase, particularly with their final game being away to Cork. They have two bites of the cherry to get the second set of points they need but certainly the task this Sunday would be the easier one on paper.

Indeed, Waterford’s record over Tipperary is good in recent years, unbeaten in their last four championship encounters (3 wins and a draw) going back to Tipp’s last success over the Deise in 2019.

One of those wins came in 2023 at Semple Stadium which precipitated Tipperary’s decline until the turn of this year when a Waterford side, already eliminated from the championship, came to Thurles won by six points, costing Tipp a place in the Munster Final and barely progressing to the All-Ireland Series on score difference.

You can be sure memories of that day will be fresh in the minds of all the Tipperary players to ensure they are steeled mentally for the challenge they face against a Waterford side that are not being given the credit they deserve.

You only have to look at their team and the players they have brought off the bench in their two championship games to date to see the formidable side they are, aided by former Tipperary great Eoin Kelly as a selector.

The fact that Tipperary manager Liam Cahill and coach Michael Bevans know most of the Waterford players intimately from their three years in charge from 2020-2022, will help in terms of sizing up the opposition, particularly in terms of man-marking duties.

Key among them will be Dessie Hutchinson who will likely be picked up by Michael Breen, but the two forwards Tipp will need to keep under wraps are Stephen Bennett and Jamie Barron, as when they are influential, Waterford are at their best.

The challenge the Tipp forwards will face will be much different to last Saturday as Tadhg de Burca’s tendency to sit deep as a centre back should ensure the middle channel won’t be as open as Clare’s was in the opening half in Ennis. Still, Tipp’s mentality shouldn’t change, take them on when the opportunity arises and try and get goals.

In terms of selection, the interesting aspect will be whether Darragh McCarthy, assuming he comes through the Munster Under 20 final unscathed, will come straight back into the starting line-up after suspension. The likelihood is he will so who loses out? Should Alan Tynan’s hamstring injury that forced him off late against Clare rule him out, Tipp could rejig the forward line with Jake Morris possibly moving to the wing.

Tynan’s physicality and workrate would be a big miss if the midfielder is unable to go which could see Seamus Kennedy, Willie Connors and Darragh Stakelum all come into contention, while Conor Stakelum will have benefited hugely from the 46 minutes under his belt against Clare.

After starting him last Saturday, the Tipp management might be tempted to hold Noel McGrath in reserve as an impact sub for this one. Bar his sublime pass for John’s goal chance early on, Noel wasn’t as prominent on the ball as in the previous two games when he was impactful off the bench, and with this game likely to go to the closing moments, having him on the field will be important.

This is a season-defining game for Tipperary. Lose, and the progress made since the turn of the year will count for little, win and the possibilities are endless for a group of players who look united, and playing with confidence are a team no one would like to see coming down the road.